U.S. patent number 5,377,171 [Application Number 08/188,445] was granted by the patent office on 1994-12-27 for timepiece movement including two opposed analog displays.
Invention is credited to Walter Schlup.
United States Patent |
5,377,171 |
Schlup |
December 27, 1994 |
Timepiece movement including two opposed analog displays
Abstract
The movement, of the conventional type with barrel (10) and
spring balance, includes two time displays with hands, the hands
(3m, 3h, 3s) of one of the displays, arranged opposite one of the
principal faces (1) of the movement, being driven in rotation in a
known manner by a gear train comprising a toothed center wheel (12)
fixed onto an arbor (13) with a pinion (11) meshing with the
barrel. Opposite the other principal face (2) is found another time
display, the hands (5m, 5h) of which are driven by another gear
train (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41), a toothed wheel (35) of which
is fixed onto the arbor (13) of the center wheel (12). This
arrangement permits reducing to a minimum the height of the other
gear train and to guarantee the same small backlash for the hands
of both displays. The barrel spring (10) is wound by an automatic
winding arrangement comprising an oscillating mass (7) arranged
opposite the other principal face (2) of the movement. A time
setting stem (6) capable of occupying a neutral axial position and
two drawn-out positions, enables, in cooperation with a
transmission mechanism (47-56), correcting the indications of one
of the displays in one of the drawn-out positions and the
indications of the other display in the other drawn-out
position.
Inventors: |
Schlup; Walter (CH-2300 La
Chaux-de-Fonds, CH) |
Family
ID: |
4183073 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/188,445 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1994 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jan 29, 1993 [CH] |
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00 265/93-9 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
368/220; 368/140;
368/223 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04B
5/18 (20130101); G04B 19/025 (20130101); G04B
27/04 (20130101); G04B 19/235 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G04B
19/02 (20060101); G04B 5/00 (20060101); G04B
5/18 (20060101); G04B 19/23 (20060101); G04B
27/00 (20060101); G04B 27/04 (20060101); G04B
19/00 (20060101); G04B 019/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;368/139-150,154,155-168,220,223 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0511530 |
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Apr 1992 |
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EP |
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7594 |
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Nov 1893 |
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CH |
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46207 |
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Feb 1909 |
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CH |
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3126/68 |
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Mar 1968 |
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CH |
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Primary Examiner: Roskoski; Bernard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McGlew & Tuttle
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A timepiece movement with a spring balance, bounded by two
opposed substantially planar and parallel principal faces,
including two time displays with hands, a spring retaining barrell,
a gear train comprising a toothed center wheel fixed to a pinion
meshing with said barrell, a toothed third wheel fixed to a pinion
meshing with said center wheel and a toothed minutes wheel
effecting one revolution per hour, and means for transmitting the
energy stored in the spring to the spring balance system and for
driving in rotation the hands of one of said displays opposite one
of said faces, another gear train having as function the driving in
synchronism with said hands, of the hands of the other display
opposite the other face, winding means for the barrel spring and
time setting means for said displays, said other gear train
including a toothed intermediate wheel which is fixed in rotation
to said center wheel.
2. A movement as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hands of each
display pivot in the opposite sense to the hands of the other
display around a common axis arranged perpendicularly to said
faces.
3. A movement as set forth in claim 1 or in claim 2, said other
display comprising a single hand effecting one revolution per 24
hours in order to indicate the hour in different time zones.
4. A movement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said winding means
form an automatic winding arrangement including an oscillating mass
arranged between the other principal face and the hands of the
other display, which exhibits an opening around its rotation axis
for the passage of elements supporting at least one hand of the
other display, and a wheel train for transmitting the motions of
said mass to the barrel spring in order to wind it.
5. A movement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said other gear
train comprises said toothed intermediate wheel, a toothed minutes
wheel meshing with said intermediate wheel, a cannon fixed in
rotation to said minutes wheel and supporting the minutes hand, a
toothed dial train wheel fixed to a pinion and meshing with a
pinion fixed onto said cannon, and a toothed hours wheel supporting
the hours hand through a pipe and meshing with the pinion of the
dial train.
6. A movement as set forth in claims 4 and 5, furthermore including
a bridge supporting said oscillating mass, said minutes wheel, said
cannon, said dial train wheel and said hours wheel of said other
gear train.
7. A movement as set forth in claim 1, said time setting means
comprising a time setting stem having three axial positions, the
first position being neutral, and a mechanism having as function
the transmission of the rotation of the stem, when the latter is in
the second position, to a toothed wheel of said gear train for time
setting the display without modifying the indication of the other
display, and, when the stem is in the third position, to a toothed
wheel of said other gear train for time setting the other display
without modifying the indication of the first-named display.
8. A timepiece movement comprising:
driving means for providing rotational force, said driving means
including teeth;
a drive pinion meshing with said teeth of said driving means;
a center drive arbor fixed to said drive pinion and rotating with
said drive pinion;
a center drive wheel fixed to said drive pinion and rotating with
said drive pinion;
a first display initial pinion meshing with said center drive
wheel;
a first display minutes wheel meshing with said first display
initial pinion;
a first minute hand connected to said first display minutes
wheel;
a first face cooperating with said first minute hand to create a
first time display;
a second minute hand;
a second face cooperating with said second minute hand to create a
second time display;
second display gear means for rotating said second minute hand in a
direction opposite to a direction of rotation of said first minute
hand, said second display gear means including an intermediate
wheel fixed to said drive pinion and rotating with said drive
pinion.
9. A movement in accordance with claim 8, wherein:
said first and second faces are positioned on substantially
opposite sides of said driving means.
10. A movement in accordance with claim 8, wherein:
said first display minutes wheel and said first minute hand rotate
in substantially a same direction and speed.
11. A movement in accordance with claim 8, wherein:
said second display gear means includes a second display minutes
wheel meshing with said intermediate wheel, said second display
minutes wheel and said second minute hand rotate in substantially a
same direction and speed.
12. A movement in accordance with claim 8, further comprising:
escapement means for controlling said drive means through a gear
train branching off from said first display initial pinion.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a timepiece movement intended to fit
out a reversible watch displaying different time information on
each of its two principal faces. It concerns more specifically a
movement including two opposed analog displays with hands
indicating, for example, the hour in two different time zones, the
hands of one of the displays advancing in the opposite sense but in
synchronism with those of the other display.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Movements for such watches are themselves known. For example,
patent CH 57805 described a double face pocket watch which
indicates on each of its faces a different time by means of a
movement including two opposed displays, the hands of which pivot
around an axis passing through the center of the watch. The hands
of one of the displays opposite one of the faces of the movement
are set in rotation in a known manner by a minutes arbor loosely
adjusted in the arbor of the center wheel, also called minutes
wheel, while the hands of the other display are driven in the
opposite sense by a wheel train coming into mesh with an
intermediate pinion fixed opposite the other face of the movement
on the same minutes arbor. The presence of the intermediate pinion
arranged between the other face of the movement and the hands of
the other display increases accordingly the total thickness of the
caliber while introducing additional play in the motion of the
hands. If that is acceptable in the case of a pocket watch, such an
increase in thickness would constitute, on the other hand, an
important drawback in the providing of a wrist watch in which the
thickness assumes great importance from the design viewpoint.
Another disadvantage of such movement comes from the fact that the
displays cannot be separably set., but only together and in
synchronism.
Another movement with two opposed displays has been exposed in
patent application EP 0504623. In this creation, the hands of one
of the displays are the hands of a known type display driven in a
known manner by a dial train from the minutes arbor. The hands of
the other display are set in rotation in the sense opposite to that
of the first mentioned hands by a gear train arranged to be flat on
the other face of the movement, in a manner to reduce as much as
possible the overthickness. The transmission of the rotational
movement of a wheel set of the dial train to the wheel sets
arranged on the other face is obtained by means of an indented
traversing cannon joining the two faces of the movement and
cooperating with an exterior control push piece. If this
arrangement of the wheel sets enables obtaining a movement of small
thickness, on the other hand the length of the gear train
introduces still more substantial play than in the preceding case
in driving the hands of the other display during the synchronous
time setting of the two displays. In order to render such play
acceptable, the toothed wheels must exhibit small backlash and thus
respond to severe manufacturing standards bringing about a high
cost of manufacture. The separate setting of each display is
possible in this arrangement, but this thanks to the control push
piece, the presence of which complicates the design of the movement
as well as that of the watch case.
The two arrangements which have just been described which concern
mechanical as well as electronic analog movements thus present
substantial drawbacks which the present invention, on the other
hand applicable only to mechanical movements with a sprung balance,
proposes to overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain this objective, the timepiece movement with a
spring balance according to the invention, bounded by two opposed
substantially planar and parallel principal faces, including two
time displays with hands, a spring retaining barrel, a gear train
comprising a toothed center wheel fixed to a pinion meshing with
said barrel, a toothed third wheel fixed to a pinion meshing with
said center wheel and a toothed minutes wheel effecting one
revolution per hour, and means for transmitting the energy stored
in the spring to the spring balance system and for driving in
rotation the hands of one of said displays opposite one of said
faces, another gear train having as function the driving in
synchronism with said hands, of the hands of the other display
opposite the other face, winding means for the barrel spring and
time setting means for both displays is especially notable in that
said other gear train includes a toothed intermediate wheel which
is fixed in rotation to said center wheel.
An advantage of the invention comes from the fact that the gear
train driving the hands of the other display includes very few
wheel sets and that such are arranged in a manner so as to increase
the height of the movement to the least extent possible.
Another advantage results from the fact that the hands of both
displays exhibit the same play with wheels of the same quality for
both gear trains.
Other characteristics and advantages of the movement according to
the present invention will become apparent from the description
which is to follow, having regard to the attached drawings and
giving, by way of explanation but in no manner limiting, an example
of an embodiment of such a movement. On such drawing, the same
references refer to analogous elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a profile view of one embodiment of a movement according
to the invention, including a time display by means of hands
opposite each of its principal faces, and an oscillating mass for
automatic winding;
FIG. 2 shows, in a cross-sectional view by a plane passing through
the rotational axis of the hands, the principal wheel sets and
control elements of the movement, and
FIG. 3 shows the two principal portions of the movement separated
from one another.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of a mechanical timepiece movement with a spring
balance and two time displays according to the invention is shown
on FIG. 1. References 1 and 2 designate respectively the two
principal faces, substantially planar and parallel to the movement.
Opposite face 1, or the first face, is arranged an analog time
display or first display constituting the standard display and
including hours hand 3h, minutes hand 3m and seconds hand 3s being
displaced in front of dial 4. Opposite face 2, or the second face,
is located another analog time display, or second display,
including hours hand 5h and minutes hand 5m, displaced in
synchronism with but in the opposite sense from the previously
mentioned hands and enabling the indication of time in any other
time zone. In the present embodiment, the hands of both displays
pivot around a common axis xx'. A time setting stem 6 with three
axial positions enables separate correction of the indications of
both displays and rewinding the spring in a manual movement, but in
the present case an automatic movement including an oscillating
mass 7 is concerned.
FIG. 2 shows in a cross-section view the arrangement of the
principal elements of the movement. The teeth of the spring barrel
or driving means 10 are in mesh with a drive pinion 11 fixed to a
toothed center drive wheel 12, the drive pinion 11 and toothed
center drive wheel 12 being supported by a center drive arbor 13
pivoting in bearings 14. A first display initial pinion 15 fixed to
a third wheel 16 meshes on the one hand with center drive wheel 12
and on the other hand with a toothed first display minutes wheel 17
also called a center wheel effecting one revolution per hour. The
minutes wheel drives the minutes hand 3m of the first time display
in rotation through a friction cannon 18 including a pinion 19. A
pinion 20 fixed onto the toothed dial train wheel 21, which is
driven by pinion 19 of the friction cannon, meshes with a toothed
hours wheel 22 effecting one revolution in 12 or 24 hours and
directly driving in rotation the hours hand 3h. As to the third
wheel 16, this is in mesh with a pinion 25 fixed to a toothed
seconds wheel 26. Pinion 25 and wheel 26 effect one revolution per
minute and they are supported on the arbor 27 on which is fixed to
the seconds hand 3s. The seconds wheel 26 meshes with a pinion 30
fixed onto an arbor 31 supporting an escapement wheel 32. Finally,
an anchor 33, cooperating with the escapement wheel, transmits the
energy stored in the spring of barrel 10 to the spring balance
regulating system, not shown.
The wheel sets which have just been described and their kinematic
connections form a gear train which is well known from the prior
art. It is necessary to mention that all the wheels of such first
gear train, in particular the center wheel, but with the exception
of the minutes and hours wheels, are under stress, that is to say
that they transmit permanently a couple to the following wheel
which has as effect to eliminate all backlash between the teeth of
two wheel sets in direct mesh.
Hands 5h and 5m of the second display are driven from their side by
another gear train. Such second gear train which constitutes the
invention as such, is described hereinafter.
On arbor 13 supporting the center wheel 12 is secured a toothed
intermediate wheel 35. Wheel 35, fixed in rotation to wheel 12,
meshes with a toothed second display minutes wheel 36 which effects
one revolution per hour around axis xx'. Wheel 36 is similar to the
minutes wheel 17 of the first gear train and it drives in the same
manner as such latter the minutes hand 5m of the second display by
means of a friction cannon 37 similar to cannon 18. Finally, a
toothed dial train wheel 38 meshing with a pinion 39 of cannon 37
drives through pinion 40 an hours wheel 41 supporting the hours
hand 5h through a pipe 42.
The restrained number of wheel sets in the second gear train and
their arrangement in the same plane have as consequence that such
wheel sets occupy a height which is reduced to the minimum. The
absence of play in the intermediate wheel 35 on the other hand
causes the hands of both displays to show the same small angular
backlash.
The correction of the indications of each time display separately
is obtained by means of the time setting stem 6 which can occupy
three axial positions, and of an appropriate mechanism itself
known. To this end, stem 6 includes a cylindrical portion 45 and a
portion with a squared-off section 46. On the cylindrical portion
there is a pinion which rotates freely having a central squared
opening and radial peripheral teeth 48, the teeth coming into mesh
with the first toothed wheel of a gear train formed from toothed
wheels 49, 50 and 51, the last wheel 51 meshing with the dial train
wheel 38. The squared-off portion 46 of stem 6, from its side,
supports and drives in rotation a pinion 52 sliding longitudinally
on the stem 6 and including axial teeth 53 and a circular groove
54. A toothed wheel 55 meshes with the dial train wheel 21 and, as
determined by the axial position of pinion 52, with the teeth 53 of
this latter. Finally, in groove 54, there is arranged the end of a
lever 56 intended to displace pinion 52 axially dependent upon the
axial position of stem 6.
On FIGS. 2 and 3, the time setting stem 6 is shown in its pushed-in
or neutral position in which its rotation does not bring about any
modification of the displays. Effectively, pinion 47 is not driven
by the portion of the stem having a squared -off section 46, while
pinion 52 although rotating does not mesh with wheel 55. In the
first drawn-out position of stem 6, portion 46 comes just flush
with pinion 47 while lever 56 displaces pinion 52 in a manner such
that its teeth 53 come into mesh with those of wheel 55. A rotation
of stem 6 then drives wheel 55 and hands 3m and 3h of the first
display without having an effect on those of the second display. In
displacing stem 6 into its second drawn-out position, the
squared-off section 46 penetrates into the squared opening of
pinion 47 while lever 56 displaces pinion 52 in a manner to remove
teeth 53 from wheel 55. In such conditions, rotation of stem 6 has
as effect the driving of pinion 47 and thus hands 5m and 5h of the
second display without displacing those of the first display. It
would also be possible to arrange the mechanism so that the time
setting stem 6 corrects one of the displays in one of the drawn-out
positions and both displays in synchronism in the other drawn-out
position. It is well understood, if the movement were to include a
calendar arrangement, stem 6 would have to be able to occupy three
drawn-out positions, the first for setting the calendar to the
correct date, the second and third positions corresponding then
respectively to the first and second positions which have just been
described.
A bridge 60 supports the oscillating mass 7 of known type. Arranged
between the principal face 2 and hands 5m and 5h, it pivots around
axis xx'. A central hole formed in such mass gives passage to the
elements driving the hands. A wheel train, not shown, couples mass
7 to the barrel 10 and assures furthermore, in a known manner,
winding of the spring. In order to facilitate assembly of the
movement, the elements referenced 36 to 41 and 51 are also arranged
on bridge 60. It is then sufficient to remove bridge 60, as is
shown on FIG. 3, in order to give access to the elements previously
cited.
It is self understood that the timepiece movement which has just
been described may undergo still further modifications than those
which have already been mentioned and appear under other variants
evident to the person skilled in the art without departing from the
framework of the present invention. In particular, the seconds hand
3s could pivot around an axis different from axis xx' and appear
for example in the form of a small hand arranged at 6 o'clock. In
place of hands 5m and 5h, the second display could include a single
hand 61 shown on FIG. 3, effecting one revolution per 24 hours and
indicating the time zones on a dial 62. As is well understood, the
movement could be of the manual winding type, and in such case
hands 5m, 5h, 61 could also pivot around an axis other than axis
xx'.
* * * * *